Ok so I need help, I’ve been scouring the web for weeks and I’m going nuts. 'm going to be building a new editing/gaming rig. I currently have a i7-7700k with a MSI mPower Z270 mobo, 64gb ram, 500gb m.2 960 evo boot/os drive, 2x 1tb m.2 60 evo, which I use for my scratch and project media drive as well as 4x 2 tb 850 evo ssd, not set in raid or anything. One has my games, the other i use for photo editing, another for my video editing files, like music, graphics and stuff and the other is a catch all. I have 2 x EVGA 1080 FTW2 hybrids. I want to upgrade the cpu so I have more options to expand, like a raid controller and a Blackmagic Decklink mini monitor 4k tht runs pcie2.0x4 and alos have options for more later.
My lack of understanding of pcie lanes is making the decision hard. I want a mobo that allows me to either nativel run 3x m.2, won’t be in raid, or through a expansion card as long as there aren’t huge performance dings for that. What mobo’s are out there that allow this and dual gpu’s, raid controller and other expansion cards without limiting sata connections. I’ve seen quite a few that when your fill the m.2 slots then sata ports become unusable.
I saw the Asus WS X299 Sage, but it only allows 2x m.2 natively, so a expansion card could work.
I plan on using either a i9-7900x or i9-9900x, or a different intel chip if someone suggest better, unless an argument could be made for threadripper. I mainly use my pc for editing and some gaming, I’d say 70% editing 30% gaming, but when I game I want to do it right and play without limitations.
I have a 10k-12k budget for the build, I plan on using the drives and graphics cards I already have but want to go with an all hard line liguid coolinig set up so I’ll convert the AIO cards I have to hard line cooling.
Does anyone want to help with suggestions for cpu, mobo, case and anything else? I would like to also set up a 30tb-40tb (4-6 drive) raid array for project storage within the build as well usiing a raid card.
I know this is a tall order, but I’m sure there’s some smarter people than me out there that can help configure something like this. I’d really appreciate the help.
Just to make sure I understand you:
You currently have:
| Type | Description | Useage |
|---|---|---|
| M.2 SSD | 1x 500GB | Bootdrive |
| M.2 SSD | 2x 1TB | Scratch Disk(s) |
| SATA SSD | 4x 2TB | Storage |
| GPU | GTX1080 |
And you want option to add more PCIe cards (2) ?
Further info concerning the software you use would help. Stuff like Adobe benefit from higher clockspeed, Sony Vegas and C4D scale well with cores.
Without doing a deep dive, that sounds like a use case for Threadripper. As all of them support 64 PCIe lanes, it is just a matter of picking the right core count (and maybe waiting until CES is over).
TR 2920X would be my suggestion.
Yes that is correct, except dual graphics cards. I primarily use my pc for editing, mainly Davinci Resolve and some Adobe PP. I would say my work to game ratio is 70% work 30% game. It would make sense to have a more work oriented machine but I do like to game when time permits and I definitely don’t wan’t something that is going to not handle that well.
Yes I would like to add a raid controller and another add card for some editing work stuff. I’m starting to think TR as well. Anything is obiously going to do better than my 7700k I have now, but I’d like to get something that will get the job done for a few years at least. I built this computer right after the 7700k came out so it hasnb’t been that long.
Thanks for the insight. Any suggestions when it comes to mobo’s. I haven’t ever looked into any AMD offerings before so this will be all new territory for me. Thanks again.
Threadripper is perfectly fine for gaming. It’s just not the first choice if you’d be building a gaming only system, which you aren’t. Threadripper 2950X would be a good pick, I think, as it has the highest boost clocks.
Regarding the X399 mobos, I think all of them are fairly similar. A few models were released with the 2nd gen TRs, so are a bit newer. The best thing to do is to carefully compare all the models and pick the one that works for you best. Look at the slot placement, various connectors, form factor (EATX is slightly wider), etc. Think what would work best with all your peripherals. Remember you can download the manuals to check the details and there are video reviews out there as well.
Be careful with the CPU cooler, first PCIE slot, and RAM module heights as sometimes you just run into physical compatibility issues.
Lastly, think if you really need to upgrade just now. New Ryzen CPUs will be coming out this year, so maybe new TR will follow. So you could buy a new one or get a good deal on the 2nd gen. Not sure what your budget is, but I imagine switching from Z270 may be pricey as you will probably need new RAM, new cooler, maybe even a new case.
I’m guessing this would be a decent read for you:
I’ll play the devil’s advocate there and say that I don’t think you’d be bottlenecked by 44 PCIe lanes with the i9 X parts compared to Threadripper and in your workload you’d probably get roughly the same performance.
From what I’ve heard from people who actually vary between workloads and footage but they have mostly favorable thoughts about the AMD part.
Thanks for the insight. I spent abouta week going through all the x299 mobos line by line and now I’ll have to do the same with the x399. It’s always hard to find just the right one and decide what you can live without, I’ve yet to find the perfect one in my eyes. I believe I have a pretty decent budget to get it done, but I obviously don’t want to waste money. I’m hoping my ram will cross over, man the prices have gone up since I built this rig. I’m using G.Skill Ripjaws V 3200 and 64gb. I’ve looked at all the QVL’s and none specifically list mine but they list a lot of the ones close to mine, I guess it’ll be a crap shoot and just set aside $500-$700 in case I need new ones. Thanks again for all the help.
I was thinking the same thing initially, but I do like the expandibility options by having more pcie lanes and plus the price difference, holy cow! I didn’t realize TR was priced so good. I had budgeted anywhere from 1k to 1500k for cpu, now I can use the difference for more storage or anything else.
What’s the monitor situation like?
I run 3X BenQ SW2700PT 27" for my grading and editing work and then one BenQ PV3200PT 32" 16:9 4K for review playback monitor
Yeah i agree with this.
But there is a choice to make basically.
Wenn it comes to adobe premiere pro, intel would be a better choice there.
But the only downside with X299 and their higher core count cpu´s is the price.
I mean yes Threadripper generally will perform slightly less wenn it comes video rendering, because it lacks the clockspeeds.
However if you concider the prices of Threadripper and the additional pci-e connectivity you get.
Then yeah, intel is faster but probablly not faster enough to justify its premium price tag.
I’d also suggest that given even intel has moved mainstream off 4 cores and we’ve been stuck at 4.x-5 ghz for what… 10 years now in terms of overclock, and 3-4ghz generally in terms of standard boost clocks, that the clockspeed headroom simply isn’t there to be had any more.
Ramping clocks is done. We’re at the point on the frequency/voltage/heat curve where it just doesn’t make any sense any more.
All software that was previously lazy about multi-core support is going to have to adapt in coming years or have their lunch eaten by other products that do.
But that’s future looking. If you need clock speed TODAY then intel is the pick. But might be worth waiting if you can to see what AM4 (and for sure, threadripper 3 will be a beast) brings this year. X570 boards may enable PCIe 4.0 x8 for video, and give you (effectively) more PCIe lanes (worth of bandwidth) than current on AM4 for things like PCIe SSDs, etc.
Well it will work, might not overclock to the maximum rated speed but it will work.